A career development program is a planned mechanism to integrate a series of activities related to individual career planning by the employees and organizational career management for the employees. The main objective of designing and developing a career management program is to provide employees with an opportunity to grow within the organization and expand their horizons and upgrade and use their skills to maximum possible extent so that the organization can be benefited ultimately. Times have changed and so have the needs and aspirations of employees. Gone are the days when they would stick to their job until their retirement. In today’s world, when there is so much to explore and achieve, they simply can’t afford to be static. They need continuous development and evolvement of themselves and reach new heights.

Career program in such a scenario tries to strike a balance between the employee requirements and objectives and organizations requirements and objectives. The entire program is a consortium of several activities and workshops that help in fostering better communication at all levels of organization so everyone can understand each other’s requirements, skills and competencies.

The program also gives employees an opportunity to understand their own desires and aspirations and feasibility of their goals so that they can assess their skills and competencies and therefore, set realistic goals. Once a career program is introduced in the organization, the top management has to make sure that it serves the purpose for which it has been introduced and implemented. There are several factors that indicate the effectiveness of a career program. By assessing and analyzing them, the HR professionals can measure till what extent the program has been successful.

Indicators of Career Program Effectiveness

• Matching the Standards with the Results: Comparison between already established goals and objectives and achievement is the biggest indicator of the effectiveness of a career program. Lesser the difference between the two, more successful the program is. But before matching the two, HR managers should make sure that the set standards were feasible to achieve and achieved output is calculated without any bias.

• Greater Self Awareness among Employees: The effectiveness of the program can also be measured by the degree of increase in self awareness among employees. If they feel that they have achieved greater self awareness and self-determination and acquired necessary and useful information about their career, the program is definitely a big success.

• Balance between Employee and Organization Requirements and Objectives: Implementation of a career development program should result in better communication at all levels within the organization, a balance match between individual and organizational career and identification of talent pool by HR specialists are other major indicators that can help you measure the effectiveness of a career development program.

• Changes in Performance Indexes: Improved employee performance ratings, improved employee morale, reduced turnover rates, reduced employee absenteeism, increased promotions from within and reduced time to fill job openings are other positive indicators for measuring the effectiveness of a career program.

Along with this, a positive change in the attitude and behaviour of employees and adequacy of organizational career information can also be seen as indicators of career program effectiveness.

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